Sources informed that the NG Acharya and DK Marathe College in Mumbai’s Chembur is likely to reverse its decision to prohibit burqas and hijabs in junior college after the students’ worries turned into an issue.
The institution notified the parents of the decision in May, allowing them time to have the uniforms sewn, and had previously said that it required uniforms for junior college students.
Numerous students who arrived to the campus without the required attire were sent away, a senior police officer informed. “The hijab or burqa have nothing to do with this. As of right now, there has been no police complaint in the case.
On Tuesday, several Class 12 students at Acharya and Marathe College in Chembur said that they had been denied entry and access to the restrooms, where they would have changed into their uniforms. For the last two days, announcements concerning the uniform have been broadcast on the public address systems.
“How can we come without our hijab, or a dupatta,” a female student in Class 12 asked News18. In public, we cannot expose our heads. It violates our religious beliefs.
In May, the college’s principal defended the choice to make uniforms compulsory. “All the parents attended a meeting. They were made aware of it. Even now, junior college is considered secondary education. It’s not a college. We didn’t want the pupils to see themselves as better or inferior based on their attire. So, this advice was put into practice. The students had a number of months to purchase two sets of uniforms. The Acharya and Marathe College’s principal, Vidyagauri Lele, insisted that there was no prejudice involved in this.
